Messages

1

Kegging and Bottling / Re: labels...Labels

« on: January 19, 2013, 11:03:17 AM »

What program do you use to create them?

I use Photoshop.

2

Kegging and Bottling / labels...Labels

« on: January 19, 2013, 05:09:41 AM »

One of the things I enjoy about bottling my brew is creating the labels.  I think ‘branding’ the beer for family & friends helps to personalize the hobby.  I’ve included a few of my labels, but I’d like to see some other examples.

3

Extract/Partial Mash Brewing / Re: Will the carbonation perk up?

« on: January 15, 2013, 12:56:23 PM »

What a difference a week makes. I anxiously tried another sample yesterday.  It's been over two weeks since bottling now, and its come a long way.  I thought it was outstanding, with a nice head and lasing.  Thanks all for weighing in. 

4

Extract/Partial Mash Brewing / Will the carbonation perk up?

« on: January 10, 2013, 10:32:04 AM »

I brewed an extract kit from NB a few weeks ago and bottled it a little over a week ago.  I popped open a trial at one week in the bottle and it barely had any carbonation.  I’m hoping that it just wasn’t mature enough at one week, and that it will gradually get better.  I followed the recommended 2/3 c of the supplied dextrose at bottling time, which wasn’t the entire 5 oz. package contents that was included with the kit.  I normally chuck the entire package in my other brews, with good results.  But whatever reason, I did what the directions recommended.

Is it a dog that won’t hunt at this point?

5

Yeast and Fermentation / Re: Wyeast - refrigerate ASAP

« on: January 01, 2013, 10:02:37 AM »

Very pleased with the way things worked out.  After pitching the starter on Sunday, nothing was happening for the first 24 hours or so.  Then I checked and it had really taken off.  A beautiful krausen has developed, and the activity is what I would expect.  Looks like things are on track.

6

Yeast and Fermentation / Re: Wyeast - refrigerate ASAP

« on: December 30, 2012, 08:04:47 AM »

Update:  The starter, after a couple of days, still looks fairly anemic.  It started to settle out overnight, so I put it in fridge when I got up.  Since I had planned today to be a brew day, I'm just going to go ahead with the plan.  I will decant the starter and just pitch it.  We'll see what happens.  It will be a good learning experience nonetheless.

7

Yeast and Fermentation / Wyeast - refrigerate ASAP

« on: December 29, 2012, 05:17:51 AM »

I received a Northern Brewer ingredient kit for Christmas from my wife.  It shipped with a Wyeast 3538 Leuven Pale yeast pack with the standard refrigerate ASAP package.  Unfortunately, my wife left the gift in a spare room for about a month without knowing that the yeast should be refrigerated,  I'm now trying to get a starter going, and it doesn't seem to be taking off.  It's been 18 hours or so.  Is the yeast DOA?

8

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Secondary fermentation

« on: December 26, 2012, 04:37:15 PM »

Why is it that some NB kits recommend a yeast starter and two-stage fermentation?  Yeast starter I understand, but two-stage fermentation - what's their logic?

9

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Secondary fermentation

« on: December 26, 2012, 01:15:36 PM »

I'm Intrigued by the idea of forgoing the secondary fermentation step altogether, and I'd like to try it.  Is it simply a matter of combining the time normally spend in primary + secondary?   Are there other variables to consider?